World Junior Rapid Chess Championship: Sadhwani and Beydullayeva win gold
The FIDE World Junior Rapid Chess Championship came to an end, but it left a lasting impression. The exhilarating journey climaxed on the final day as Raunak Sadhwani and Govhar Beydullayeva emerged as the undisputed champions of their open and girls sections, respectively. In the Open section, Raunak Sadhwani, the rising star from India, showcased prowess and unyielding determination and secured a remarkable victory, scoring 8.5/11. After a shaky start, Raunak picked up steam and came into the final round, sharing the top position with three players. The Indian GM pulled off a crucial victory over Tobias Koelle (who was leading the race for most of the event) and clinched the title as two other co-leaders, Arseniy Nesterov and Dimitris Alexakis, drew their game and tied for second place with Or Globus. Nesterov claimed silver thanks to superior tiebreaks and became the only unbeaten player in the open section; Alexakis took bronze. Final standings open: 1 GM Sadhwani Raunak 8½ 2 GM Nesterov Arseniy 8 3 IM Alexakis Dimitris 8 4 IM Globus Or 8 5 IM Koelle Tobias 7½ 6 IM Isanzhulov Arystan 7½ 7 GM Subelj Jan 7½ 8 IM Sahidi Samir 7 9 IM Martinovici Ilia 7 10 FM Lumachi Gabriele 7 In the girls’ section, Govhar Beydullayeva of Azerbaijan proved her mettle by winning the title with an even more impressive score of 9/11. Sardinia seems to have a special victorious vibe for Govhar as she won her second title here after her triumph at the 2022 World Junior Championship in this Mediterranean island. Kazakhstani’s young ladies did exceptionally well in the competition, taking the second to fifth positions in the final standings, with Xeniya Balabayeva (silver) and Zeinep Sultanbek (bronze) making it to the podium. Final standings girls: 1 WGM Beydullayeva Govhar 9 2 WIM Balabayeva Xeniya 8½ 3 WIM Sultanbek Zeinep 7½ 4 WIM Nurgali Nazerke 7½ 5 FM Kurmangaliyeva Liya 7 6 WFM Ciolacu Alessia-Mihaela 6½ 7 Bordin Silvia 6½ 8 WFM Kirtadze Anastasia 6 9 Hernandez Diaz Paula Sofia 6 10 WFM Sevcikova Lucia 6 Photos: NIKIEL.PHOTO Official website: juniorrapidandblitz2023.com/